Hot Decadent Rising (Breath of Darkness) by Candice Stauffer Page B

not?” Demetri asked.
    “You’ve chosen Mary to be your mate.
Doesn’t that mean you owe her some degree of loyalty?”
    Demetri smiled. “Loyalty is not my
greatest strength, unless it’s to me. Why not share a few insignificant secrets
with a friend?”
    “I am not your friend. If what you’ve
told me is true, you know it’s not insignificant.”
    “There’s no need to be hurtful. I just
figured sharing a little knowledge with you might make the game we are all
playing more entertaining. Whether or not you become a problem because of what
you learn from me or anyone else, matters little to me. If you become a threat
to what is mine, I’ll destroy you. It’s that simple.”
    “I’m starting to believe the rumor that
you’ve lost your mind.”
    “I’ve considered it. I suppose it’s
possible. Stranger things have happened. Here’s another secret. Mary plans to
kill Mia.”
    “That is not a secret. And I’m certain
she is safe with Joseph.”
    “You admit he’s the right man for her?”
    “How can I argue it? She received his
immortal breath. Isn’t it impossible for any other than a true demon’s mate to
receive it?” He paused. “Well, unless the demon kills his true mate. Isn’t that
what you’ve done to Sara for Mary?” The ground shifted beneath Eli’s feet. It
was the first and only sign of Demetri being angry since they had begun their
conversation.
    Clearly, the mention of Sara had done
the impossible. It had caused Demetri, a demon with absolute control over his
emotions, to display true anger and frustration.
    “You have a point.” Eli felt Demetri’s
inner struggle to regain control. That was more interesting than the reason for
the demon to tell him about the locals and Mary working together. “But I doubt
Joseph has what it takes to do such a terrible thing.”
    “Mary is attempting to gain immortality?
Why haven’t you just…?” Eli knew he’d just discovered something huge. He knew
better than to think Demetri had given him the information by accident. A ten
thousand year old demon didn’t have slips of the tongue. “Sara is alive. You
didn’t kill your mate.” He wanted Eli to know. But why?
    “I wonder after all the time you’ve
spent searching for Mia if you’ve missed something.”
    “And I wonder why it would matter to
you.” Eli said.  
    “Your mate doesn’t matter to me, but she
matters to Mary. Mary plans to have her killed. It won’t be personal. It’ll be
part of a lucrative business arrangement she will make with your mate’s father
to ensure funding for her pursuit of eternal life.”
    “Mia’s father was killed by vampires
several years ago, and she’s not my mate.”
    “Perhaps you should check the
nutritional value of your kibble. If it’s lacking proper nutrients, you should
take supplements. I’ve heard doing so will not only improve your mental
productivity, but it will also give you a nice shiny coat to sport around.
Until then, as hard as it will be, try to keep up with me. We’ve already agreed
that Mia never truly belonged to you. For that reason, here’s a shocker, I was
not referring to Mia.”
    “I don’t have a mate.”
    “For some reason Joseph and Mia took a
liking to Kara. But why would you care? If she does not belong to you I’ve
wasted my time. Time is precious. Clearly, if she is not your mate, there’s no
reason for you to be bothered with her problems.”
    Eli felt a strange, overwhelming sense
of panic. “What problems?”
    “It doesn’t matter, does it?”
    “Tell me.”
    “You shouldn’t bother yourself with her.
She isn’t yours. Besides, she is with Nikolas now. He took her to recover in
the privacy and security of his home. I am certain he will do a better job
looking out for her than you ever could.”
    A thick black mist began to swirl around
Demetri’s feet and very slowly moved up his entire body until it completely
surrounded him. Within seconds, the mist started to dissipate just as slowly